Cooloola Hand Therapy Privacy Policy (V1)
General
Your privacy and personal information are important. In keeping with The Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act), Australian Privacy Principles and registered privacy codes, this policy sets out how your personal information is collected, used, disclosed and managed.
Collection
What personal information we collect and why
Cooloola Hand Therapy may collect and hold different types of personal information in the course of providing you with a range of occupational therapy services.
The personal information we collect and hold generally includes:
● Your name, address, date of birth, contact details, and contact details of GP and an elected emergency contact.
● Information about your health condition, medical history, social and family history, risk factors, medications, allergies, adverse events and treatment you may have already received.
● Medicare number and DVA number for identification and claiming purposes.
● Private health fund or compensation details.
Method of collection
Cooloola Hand Therapy collects your information using paper-based standard forms, online forms through our practice management software, in face to face meetings, through SMS, social media, phone, online consultation and/or email contact. Information may also be obtained about you from third parties acting on your behalf. If it is not possible to collect it from you directly, we may also collect this information from:
● Your guardian or responsible person.
● Other involved healthcare providers such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging service.
● Your Private Health Fund, Medicare, DVA, NDIS, or other third party insurers.
Purpose of collection
Cooloola Hand Therapy collect, use and hold your personal information for the purposes of assessing your needs and providing occupational therapy services to you.
Failure to provide information
If the personal information you provide to us is incomplete or inaccurate, we may be unable to provide the services you are seeking.
Use and disclosure
Cooloola Hand Therapy will use and disclose your personal information to enable delivery of occupational therapy services. We may disclose personal information to parties such as:
● Other healthcare providers
● Third parties who work with our practice for business purposes (such as IT providers and accreditation agencies)
● Statutory requirement to lawfully share certain personal information, such as mandatory notification of certain diseases
● Court subpoenas required or authorised by law
● When necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
● During the course of providing medical services through eHealth services if applicable, and any other party where you have provided authority to disclose.
Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt-out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.
Only those people that need to access your personal information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.
Security
Cooloola Hand Therapy takes all reasonable steps to secure your personal information, whether in paper or electronic form, and protect it from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, interference, modification or disclosure.
Accuracy
Cooloola Hand Therapy tries to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up-to-date. Please contact us if you need to update any personal information.
Mandatory breach reporting
If a breach of privacy occurs, we will take reasonable steps to manage the situation. We will comply with any applicable breach notification requirements of the Privacy Act, and notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Access and correction
Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. We will ask you at different times, to verify your information held by our practice is correct and up to date. You have the right to access and correct personal information that we hold about you, in electronic or hard copy format. If you wish to access or correct your personal information we request that you put it in writing. We may decline a request for access under the provisions in Privacy Act, and will write to you if this occurs.
Updates to this Policy
This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and practices and the changing business environment.
Complaints and feedback
If you wish to make a complaint about a privacy breach please contact us. You should provide us with sufficient details regarding your complaint together with any supporting information. We will take steps to investigate the issue and will notify you in writing of the outcome within 30 days from the receipt date of original written complaint.
Cooloola Hand Therapy
- Unit 6, 70-72 Channon Street, Gympie, QLD 4570
- E: cooloolahandtherapy@gmail.com
- M: 0492 867 653
Further information
For more information about privacy in general, or if you feel that your complaint has not been resolved, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at